HEADLINES POLL ARCHIVES FEEDBACK SEARCH REDIFF NEWSLINKS US EDITION NEWS DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ARCHIVES
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday decided to send party leader Dr Manmohan Singh to Jammu and Kashmir to discuss with the People's Democratic Party the issue of government formation in the state.
"Congress president Sonia Gandhi reviewed the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and has decided to send Dr Manmohan Singh to talk to [PDP chief] Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and evolve a common minimum programme so that a coalition government can be formed..." the political secretary to Gandhi, Ambika Soni, said after a meeting of party leaders in New Delhi.
Singh will leave for Srinagar on Sunday along with J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ghulam Nabi Azad.
When contacted on phone from Delhi, the Mufti told rediff.com: "I will talk to him when he comes."
Dr Singh, Azad, Soni attended the meeting. Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran and leader of the seven-member People's Democratic Forum, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, also took part in the deliberations.
Asked if the Congress was willing to settle for anything less than the post of chief minister, Soni said, "What is important is that we do not miss the opportunity that has been given to us by the voters... who defied bullets to cast their votes... We must have a common minimum programme. That is important, and not who would sit in the chair of the chief minister..."
She said her party was optimistic that something concrete would emerge after the meeting between Dr Singh and the Mufti.
Asked about the statement of some PDP leaders that the Congress was responsible for the breakdown of talks between the two parties, she said, "I do not want to go into what has been said by someone. We want to move forward. I would like to look at the future, as the Congress president has directed.
"In the process of negotiations various things are said by various people and we should not get bogged down with what has been said by someone. In Kashmir we have various political parties, both big and small, and independents who are tying to come together. Azad has achieved tremendous amount of success by consolidating these forces. We want to have complete success."
She claimed that Tarigami had commended the efforts of Gandhi and appreciated the moves made by the Congress for the formation of government.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
